


The Captain of Her Heart

by Daniscats



Series: The Incredible Story of Captain Shepard and the Love that Saved the Galaxy! Drabbles and Misc [3]
Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-05
Updated: 2017-08-05
Packaged: 2018-12-11 09:48:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11711886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daniscats/pseuds/Daniscats
Summary: A ship that was never meant to be.





	The Captain of Her Heart

    Kelly Chambers was just about to leave the crow's nest after feeding Shepard's fish when she saw Shepard's communication's terminal. They were docked on Illium but Shepard, Garrus and Tali had left on some super secret mission and the stern, focused Shepard had left orders that no one was to leave the ship. Her sister, Colleen, was on Illium for business with her company and she couldn't even go see her but maybe, just this once, she could use Shepard's terminal? She had personal things to tell her sister and if there was a way to have a personal call that stayed private while aboard this ship, Kelly had yet to find it.

    She was sure Shepard wouldn't mind. After all, they had a relationship now. If they were not yet officially 'a couple', she just knew in her heart, that it would happen any day now. Kelly sat down at the desk and made the call. Her red-headed sister's smiling face soon popped up on the screen.

    "Hey, you. How goes it?", Colleen asked. "How come you never answered my invitation for lunch?"

    "Well, I am on Illium but I'm ship-bound. Can't leave."

    "That's too bad." Colleen shook her head, an amused smile on her face. "I still can't believe that my older sister is actually on a military ship, working with this secretive organization to save the galaxy."

    "It's not a military ship. Not exactly."

    "No, it's worst. It's a private warship owned by a secretive, private organization that no one knows anything about..."

    "Can we please not have this conversation about my employer again? They do good things. We are doing good things. And it's not a warship!"

    "Uh-huh. It has a big gun, doesn't it? Which means it's a warship. And in my experience, any organization that secretive is not doing  'good things'. Organizations doing 'good things' do them right out in the open where everyone can see."

    Kelly just smiled. She wasn't going to let her sister get to her this time. She was too happy. And she was doing good things. Finally! Important things. Her sister always thought she was the successful one and Kelly was just supposed to fulfill her role as the disappointing daughter. Colleen always got the better grades, always got the boy, always got everything she wanted while Kelly drifted. Colleen had the high-powered corporate job, the handsome husband, the two beautiful children while Kelly waited for her soul-mate to come and for her life to truly begin.  And it was always Kelly who dreamed of finding her Prince (or Princess) and living happily ever after.

    "Says the woman now working on Illium, the illegal, immoral business practices capital of the galaxy."

   "Ohhh. You're feisty today."  

    Colleen looked at her sister closely until she sighed.

    "Okay, who is it this time?"

    Kelly beamed even brighter.

    "I don't want to jinx it but I think I found her! She's perfect!"

    "She? And where have I heard that before?"

    "I know. But this time is different. She's different."

    "And I've heard that before, too. Does she even know yet that she is your one true love?"

    "Not officially. But it was fantastic. We spent the whole night talking! She didn't even try anything."

    "You mean, you haven't done the deed?"

    "No! We haven't even kissed yet. But she did give me a very nice hug. And she told me all about her broken heart. How this asari woman that she loved wouldn't have anything to do with her now..."

    Colleen sighed and rubbed her face.

    "So, she's on the rebound?"

    "Well yes, but I'm helping her through it. And she's had a tough life. She grew up an orphan and she is still dealing with that. But instead of making her selfish and cold, she is the most giving, selfless person that I've ever met. She's fantastic. And it's just not me. Everyone thinks so."

    "Kelly...", Colleen said wearily, her face serious.

    "Can't you just be happy for me for once?" Kelly bit off preemptively. "She is this fantastic person. A hero. And she likes me." Kelly considered but then decided against telling her sister who it was. She really didn't want to jinx it by saying it out loud. "Is that so hard to believe? That someone really great would be interested in me?"

    "No! Of course not. It's just that you have a habit of getting ahead of yourself. You always give these people you fall for more than they ever give you..."

    "And I'm telling you it's not like that this time! We have a relationship. I'm in her cabin right now. I'm the only one on the crew who can come in here when she's not here. I'm talking to you from her terminal!"

    Colleen's eyes grew bigger. "You can't mean...your captain?!"

    "The same." Kelly smiled again. "And she really is as great as everyone says she is."

    Colleen's expression was still one of concern.

    "I think you are a great person, Kelly. And you deserve to be with someone great."

    Kelly sighed. "But not someone that great, right?"

    "I just don't want to see you get hurt again. Hold yourself back a little. Hold your heart back. Let things progress naturally."

    "I'm sorry. I thought I was the psychologist here. I've made some mistakes in the past but this time is going to be different. I gotta go. Next time we're back on Illium, we'll get that lunch for sure."

    "Just take care of yourself, Sis. Don't get killed in battle on that warship or yours."

    "It's not a warship! I'll talk to you later."

    Kelly moved her hand forward to shut off the link and it activated the holographic interface. She really didn't want to jinx things. She intended to be patient and to go slow this time. But what harm could a little day-dreaming do? She typed out Mrs. Kelly Shepard on the screen before laughing and erasing it.

 

 

 

    A few days later, Kelly was at her station, debating with herself. It had been a whirl-wind week, racing from Illium to Hagalaz. Rumor had it that they had gone after and defeated the Shadow Broker himself, though the name was not mentioned in the reports that Shepard filed. More importantly, Shepard's ex-girlfriend was involved. She had come on-board when they left Illium but had stayed on Hagalaz after the fight ended.

    Kelly had tried to get Shepard to talk about it. To talk about how it made her feel to have to work with her ex again but Shepard had waved her off, telling her that she needed to focus on the mission. But Kelly could tell that she was upset and hurting. And then yesterday, The Ex had come on board to talk things over with Shepard.  She just needed closure, Shepard said, but Kelly could tell that there was still a lot of pain left there.

    Now it was almost 9 am ship-board time and Shepard still hadn't made it down. Kelly could not remember a single time when Shepard had not been on deck by 7 am. Even when she had been injured in the past, she still made it to her station by 7 sharp.  Now, no one had heard from her since she had her talk with this asari ex of hers up in her cabin.

    For all Kelly knew, she was up in her cabin right now, alone and hurting with no one to lean on, too stubborn to ask for help. She wanted to go to her. To hold her and tell her it was going to be just fine. To tell her that she would find love again. Maybe she didn't even need to look very far to find it.

    They had become close. Besides the night that they spent together, talking and getting to know each other, Kelly had seen the looks that Shepard would give her. And Shepard did flirt with her. She knew that there was something there. Shepard confided in her.

 

     If she was up there hurting, wasn't it her responsibility as a friend to go see how she was? To go help her through this? She knew that Shepard was close to Garrus but he was a turian. Shepard couldn't very well confide her heartbreak to a turian male. And if they were ever going to have a good relationship, maybe she would have to be bold when the Commander could not be. She made her decision.

    "Hey John?"

    One of the junior communication's officers looked up from his post.

    "I have a headache. Can you cover my station for me for a bit?"

    "Sure thing, Kelly. Hope you feel better."

    Kelly walked quickly to the elevator, before she lost her nerve.

 

 

 

 

    Kelly rang the buzzer outside of Shepard's cabin. A couple minutes later, a sleepy-looking Shepard answered the door wearing nothing but a long shirt. Kelly had to restrain her eyes from looking anywhere but at Shepard's face. A face that looked confused but not the least bit upset.

    "Kelly?", Shepard asked, "is something wrong?"

    "Ah, no. I, ah, you weren't down in the CIC yet and it's 9 and I just wanted to see if you were alright because..."

    A light seemed to come on in Shepard's head and she smiled.

    "I get it. No, I'm good. More than good, in fact." Shepard stepped forward a little bit which allowed Kelly to see into the cabin more. There was a figure still laying in the bed. Shepard was not alone. Shepard lowered her voice. "We've decided to get back together. I think we are going to make this work."

    Kelly tried her best to smile. She was not sure how successful she was. She grabbed Shepard's hand and squeezed it for a moment, trying her best not to cry.

    "That's wonderful, Shepard. I'm happy for you."

    Shepard beamed even more.

    "Thanks."

    Kelly turned to run back into the elevator but stopped when Shepard called out to her again.

    "Kelly? Thanks for checking on me. And thanks for being there before."

    "You're welcome."

    Kelly did not turn around least Shepard see the tears in her eyes.

 

 

    A couple hours later, Kelly was still hiding in cargo deck, away from everyone else. After her ill-advised attempt to help Shepard through her 'pain', Kelly wanted nothing more than to crawl into her bunk but it was a shared room. She didn't want anyone to see her like this. She was supposed to be the ship's counselor. One more way she was useless.

    She had long since stopped crying, all the tears already shed but she couldn't stop the negative thoughts. How deluded could she be to think that someone like Shepard would be interested in her that way? If the past had taught her anything, it was that no one wanted her like that. They might want to jump into bed with her but as a life-partner, a soul-mate? She was 33 years old and still waiting for her life to really start. Only maybe she would be one of those people who never really had a real life. A flower bud that never opens and instead, shrivels up in the sun.

    The communicator on her omni-tool pinged. She reluctantly answered it. Of course, it would be Shepard.

    "Hi Kelly. I was told you have a headache? Are you feeling better? We need you up here."

    "I'll be right there, Commander."  

    No sense in staying here any longer. She still had a job that she was being paid to do, useless as she was. The thought then occurred to her, her job wasn't useless. What they were doing _was_ important. And as small as her part may be, she still had a part to play. She had _already_ helped Shepard. And who knew, maybe her soul-mate was still out there. She had the rest of her life to find them...


End file.
